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Red Beef Enchiladas

Makes: 12 enchiladas - plan on 1 1/2 per person
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Print Recipe

Ingredients  

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 medium onion (peeled & diced)
  • seasonings to taste (garlic salt, cumin, chili powder...)
  • 48 oz red enchilada sauce (canned - or about 6 cups homemade sauce - see note)
  • 4 cups shredded cheese (*special diet - omit if making dairy free)
  • 12 10-inch flour tortillas (*special diet - use corn tortillas for gluten free)

Instructions: 

  • If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 10x15 baking pan.
  • If making homemade enchilada sauce, prepare it and set it aside. (Make enough for 6 cups.)
  • In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef and onion and season to taste with garlic salt, cumin, and chili powder.
  • Drain excess grease then stir in 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce (or enough for it to be moist but not soupy) and set the meat aside to cool.
  • Pour 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
  • Spread a spoonful of meat and a couple Tbsp of cheese down the center of a tortilla, tightly roll it up, and place it (seam down) in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling.
  • If you are baking these later, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
  • When you're ready to bake them, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. *Try to cover as much of the tortillas as possible with the sauce - that will help keep them from drying out.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Notes:

Here are my recipes for homemade enchilada sauce: sauce #1, sauce #2
Make Ahead: These are super easy to make ahead. If you are going to keep them in the fridge longer than a day before baking, I would recommend leaving the extra sauce separate and pouring it over just before baking. Otherwise, it doesn't hurt the sauce to be on them for a few hours, or even overnight.
You can refrigerate or freeze these - just adjust the baking time accordingly.
Diet: Gluten Free, Egg Free